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Brennan's withdrawal came three days after a group of about 200 psychiatrists and academics wrote to Obama opposing his appointment, saying Brennan was tainted by his association with some of the CIA's most controversial policies of the Bush era. They include the use of waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods against captured al-Qaeda leaders in secret CIA prisons.I congratulate the psychologists and other health and academic professionals who helped demonstrate that there is anger and opposition to torture policies among much of the professional class and intelligentsia in this country. But this is a nuanced victory in a skirmish with a dangerous enemy, and I am admittedly someone who differs on tactics with those who helped orchestrate Brennan's defeat. (Let's not forget that a number of others on the left, and even conservatives like Andrew Sullivan opposed the Brennan would-be nomination.)
"Mr. Brennan served as a high official in George Tenet's CIA and supported Tenet's policies, including 'enhanced interrogations' as well as 'renditions' to torturing countries," the coalition stated in the letter. The group said Brennan's appointment would "dishearten and alienate those who opposed torture under the Bush administration."
The CIA should be abolished. It cannot be reformed. It's bureaucracy was forged in a world of covert wars and abusive interrogation research. Asking for someone who is "anti-torture" to head the CIA would at most drive the worst elements of torture underground. It might end, for awhile, the "enhanced interrogation techniques" (so-called "touchless torture") that is the CIA's expertise. But it does nothing to address the evils of covert secret action that derails foreign governments, nor is there any outcry against the use of targeted assassinations undertaken by the CIA over the years.
An example of how good feelings over a victory can lead to a false sense of comfort, consider the decision today by the Obama administration to put forth Bush's Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for another go at the post.
President-elect Barack Obama has decided to retain the Bush administration's Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, in his current position, at least for a year....Perhaps someone will remember that last August, Gates was implicated by the New York Times as a prime participant in the Pentagon's own policy of secret detention in Iraq of foreign fighters, and rendition of prisoners to foreign countries, such as Saudi Arabia, where monitoring of interrogations and possible abuse is impossible. As the Times reported (emphases added):
Such a move, if confirmed, could also incite the Democratic left, which had based much of its support on Obama's slowly melting pledge to withdraw American combat troops within 16 months and start immediately.
Gates has been a loyal steward of the successful surge, which Obama long appeared reluctant to admit during the political season....
On paper at least Gates and Obama also disagree over the need for a European missile defense system now, with Obama saying he wants the technology to be more proven before any installation talk.
Many of these militants are initially held, without notification to the Red Cross, sometimes for weeks at a time, in secret at a camp in Iraq and another in Afghanistan run by American Special Operations forces, the military officials said.As Aaron Glantz noted in 2006, after the hearings approving Gates as Secretary of Defense:
They said that foreign intelligence officers had been allowed access to these camps to question militants there, as a prelude to the transfers....
American military officials said the transfers required assurances that the prisoners would be well taken care of, but they would not specify those assurances, and human rights advocates questioned whether compliance could be monitored.
While the militants are in American custody, Pentagon rules allow them to be held at the Special Operations sites in Balad, Iraq, and Bagram, Afghanistan, for up to two weeks, with extensions permitted with the approval of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates or his representative, military officials said.
No Senator asked Robert Gates about a plan he wrote for President Reagan for an invasion of Lybia to "redraw the map of Northern Africa." No one asked him about his record of falsifying intelligence during the Cold War and his involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal.Perhaps I am wrong. I'm quite ready to admit it. But you cannot stop the hydra-headed monster that is the military-industrial-intelligence establishment by playing musical chairs. Does it matter to the 200 opponents of Brennan that Gates was a primary participant in the military's own version of rendition, up to the present day (the Times story is actually dated last August)? Or that he has conducted secret detentions, prosecuted Bush's "War on Terror", as a supporter of the torture-loving Contras in Nicaragua under Reagan's term of office, or any number of negatives concerning this stalwart defender of the ruling elite?
No Senator asked Robert Gates about his claim, in written testimony given before his public hearing, that he believes in the doctrine of preemptive strikes on other countries, the policy position that got us in the mess in Iraq.
No Senator asked Robert Gates about his claim, in written testimony given before his public hearing, that he believes Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction or the capability to produce weapons of mass destruction and that he still – even in hindsight – thought the invasion was a good thing.
Abstractly, I imagine the answer to the last question is yes. But concretely, campaigns such as the one that appears to have helped nix Brennan put illusions in the overall reformability of institutions that have a proven negative track record of human rights abuses and anti-democratic actions for over fifty years. In this day and age, one has to be practically a flame-breathing radical to note the CIA cannot be trusted, no matter who runs it.
I respect those who might argue against me that we have to pick and choose our battles, that we raise public consciousness through campaigns against public figures, and perhaps even do some good in the process. I cannot deny such arguments. While respecting such arguments, I also strongly believe that the dangers of sowing illusions about change are real, and that they disarm activists in the face of the struggle that really lies ahead.
Perhaps the disagreements elaborated herein are redolent of the old arguments of reform vs. revolution, or between stagist views of progress and change and those who see history as punctuated by qualitative leaps over old ways of thinking and doing. I think it's my fate to play the "ultra-left" role in this instance, and, in this instance, I'm not sorry to do it.
In any case, I am glad to see Brennan have to slink off (back to his job as CEO of the private intelligence company, Analysis Corporation). I salute those, like Stephen Soldz, who organized the letter-writing campaign, who have the guts to take on the powers that be. I hope they take my criticism with the good faith with which it's offered.


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15 Nights | Australia
About Honolulu, Hawaii
You will visit the following 8 places:
Pago Pago
Pronounced "Pahngo-Pahngo" in the Samoan language, Pago Pago is the territorial capital of American Samoa. In 2010, its population was 3,656. The city is served by Pago Pago International Airport. Tourism, entertainment, food, and tuna canning are its main industries. It is on the island of Tutuila.
Fiji, a country in the South Pacific, is an archipelago of more than 300 islands. The country is a vibrant melting pot of cultures, where East Indian, Polynesian, Melanesia, Chinese and European converge to form a unique cultural medley. Featuring sun-drenched beaches, turquoise lagoons, swaying palm trees – Fiji supplies all the classic images of paradise!
Honolulu, on Oahu's south shore, is the main gateway to Hawaii and a major gateway into the United States. The city is a major hub for international business, military defense, as well as famously being host to a diverse variety of east-west and Pacific culture, cuisine, and traditions. The name Honolulu means "sheltered harbor" or "calm port".
Sydney is the largest and most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. The city is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. It is also the oldest and most cosmopolitan city in Australia with an enviable reputation as one of the world's most beautiful and liveable cities. Brimming with history, nature, culture, art, fashion, cuisine, design, Sydney's set next to miles of ocean coastline and sandy surf beaches. Long-term immigration has led to the cities reputation as one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in Australia and the world. The city is also home to the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, two of the most iconic structures on this planet.
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar City.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I recd, your favour by Mr.
Dennison inclosing a paper contain
ing the Character of the truely worthy General Wooster. It was
with the
most sensible regret that I heard of his fall in battle, but the pain of
afflicting a dispensation of
Providence must be greatly alleviated to you and
all his friends in the consideration that he fell a martyr in the Cause of
Freedom --
You will do me a great favour by returning to me by the first
those books that remain unsold and remitting the money for those that
are sold -- I can easily dispose of them here for 12/Lmo. each --
I am greatly obliged to you for the care you show me, and your
condescention in taking so much pains for my
Interest -- I am
extremely sorry not to have been honour'd with a
personal acquaintance
with you -- if the foregoing lines meet with your acceptance
and approbation I shall think them highly honour'd.
I hope you will pardon the length of my letter, when the rea-
son is apparent -- fondness of the subject & -- the highest
respect for the deceas'd --
I sincerely sympathize with you in
the great loss you and your family sustain and am sincerely
Your friend & very humble sert
July --
15th. -- 1778


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The history of the Berrien County Sheriff's Office is rich to say the least. In the last 193 years since the first Sheriff took office, the position has been graced by thirty-eight leaders, representing more than just law and order in Berrien County. Elected sheriffs were farmers, others were politicians and law men, one was a woman, and even a Canadian and Scotsman, some moved away after serving while others lived and died in Berrien County.
It has been written that the first Berrien County Jail was constructed in St. Joseph between 1832 and 1834 by Berrien County's 2nd Sheriff, Fowler J. Preston. The was described as a wooden structure, 24x32 feet in dimension, two stories tall, containing the jailer's dwelling and two cells on the lower floor with a number of cells on the upper floor. Prisoners were provided with blankets, bed, tin washbasin and a tin bucket for use as a toilet. The County Supervisors had to ban the use of liquor in the jail and prohibit women from spending the night with prisoners.
When the county seat was moved to Berrien Springs in 1837, the county constructed a new jail at the corner of North Cass and West Union Streets. The building was completed in June 1838 but was moved in 1870 to the corner of Ferry and Main Streets when a new Sheriff's house and jail were constructed. The building still stands.
In December of 1894, the county seat was moved back to St. Joseph and a new Berrien County Courthouse and Jail were completed in 1896 at the corner of Church and Port Streets. The current Sheriff's Office and Jail came about in 1958 and the previous structure was torn down and is now used as a parking lot.
In December 1929, the Berrien County Sheriff's Office made national news with what deputies recovered in a Stevensville residence. Little did anyone know that the quaint, stylish bungalow along Red Arrow Highway south of Glenlord owned by Fred Dane was hiding secrets, including an arsenal of ammunition, three bulletproof vests, two Thompson sub-machine guns, revolvers, sawed-off shotguns, hand grenades and tear gas bombs. The two Thompson sub-machine guns found included those used in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago and another murder in New York, as later proven by ballistics tests. Besides the enormous amount of weaponry, deputies also found trap doors, dozens of disguises, and several well-thumbed detective novels. An upstairs closet revealed $390,000 worth of bonds stolen from a November 1929 bank robbery in Jefferson, Wisconsin. Fingerprint checks linked a list of alias names to one; Fred "Killer" Burke. As one of the triggermen linked to the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Burke was later convicted of murdering St. Joseph City Police Officer Charles Skelly and the infamous "Tommy guns" are still housed at the Berrien County Sheriff's Office. These priceless representations of an infamous era in history are logged as evidence which means they can never be sold. If they would ever be taken off the books as evidence, they would have to be destroyed.
During the trial and limited incarceration of Fred "Killer" Burke at the Berrien County Jail in 1931-1932, Fred J. Cutler served as Sheriff. A little over a year into his term, Sheriff Cutler became ill and was transported to the hospital for emergency surgery. He died suddenly on February 5, 1932, the only Berrien County Sheriff to do so while still holding office. The following week, a special meeting was called by Probate Judge William Andrews, Prosecutor Wilbur Cunningham, and County Clerk Ben Bittner and each one picked Sheriff Cutler's wife to serve the remaining 11 months of his term. At the time, Undersheriff Bryan Wise had been indicted on bribery charges. Jane Irene Woodruff Cutler became the first and only female Sheriff of Berrien County to date. Although Sheriff Jane Cutler never carried a gun herself, she would ride along with her deputies and would even nurse the inmates back to health if they were ill. When asked why she didn't carry a gun she smiled and stated, "I was scared to death of guns." She prepared baby food at home for female prisoners who had infants and would show compassion to the families of those housed in her jail. Although she was quite the nurturer, she also possessed a great skill for getting confessions that made deputies envious of her. She served out the remainder of her husband's term and never sought office again. She died in 1958 at the age of eighty-three.
On another tragic note, one former Sheriff of Berrien County was a crew member of the legendary ship Chicora, which was lost on Lake Michigan on January 21, 1895. James R. Clarke, a native of Quebec, served as Sheriff from 1881 to 1884. The ship was never found, and no bodies were ever recovered, however the wreck continues to be sought after by shipwreck hunters.
Another former Sheriff died of injuries sustained when he was run over by a train at the Pere Marquette Train Depot. In December of 1891, Joseph W Weimer attempted to board the rear platform of a coach when he swung around and got caught between two cars. He fell between them, severing one leg and badly injuring the other. He was tended to and was eventually taken back to his residence in Benton Harbor, but he succumbed to his injuries. He had served as Sheriff of Berrien County from 1872 to 1876 and is buried in Morton Hill Cemetery in Benton Harbor.
James Graham was the youngest Sheriff at 28 years of age, serving from 1859 to 1862. In 1861, Sheriff Graham came face to face with a lynch mob. On two separate nights, an angry mob tried to storm the jail to hang a Black male inmate who had been accused of poisoning a white family. Fortunately, the mob did not gain access to the jail and no further action was taken.
Frederick C. Franz was the only Sheriff to serve two non-consecutive terms: one from 1913 to 1916 and the other from 1925 to 1926.
Nick" Jewell who served 21 years from 1969 to 1990. Sheriff Forrest "Nick" Jewell served from 1969 to 1990 and is credited for modernizing the department. He was also the last Sheriff to live in the building with his family.
Berrien County's longest serving Sheriff was Leonard Paul Bailey, who served 22 years from 2001 to 2023.
From Augustus B. Newell to Chuck Heit, 193 years of law enforcement cannot be summed up with mere words but more from the history books and photos, old newspaper articles, the colorful memories of residents and all of the brave souls who have served within the walls of the Berrien County Sheriff's Office over the years.
- Chriss Lyon
Sheriff's Office
Physical Address
919 Port Street
St. Joseph , MI 49085
Phone: 269-983-7141Emergency Phone: 911


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Timpanogos was the first mountain I ever climbed, back in the summer of 1995. I haven't been back to the top since 2000. But I will return someday. Dad says I should try visiting during a proper summer month, the time of year when one can run to the top on a nice, smooth trail. But I do enjoy the challenges of the shoulder seasons, even if they shut me down time and time again.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Shut down
Nearly every autumn since 2004, my dad and I have traveled to the Grand Canyon to hike from rim to rim. Traveling from Idaho or Alaska or Montana or California, rain or snow or 110 degrees at the Colorado River, south to north or north to south, hiking with a big group or a few friends or just my dad and me — I love our annual R2R. It is my favorite tradition. We always plan the trip a year in advance, and 2013 was to be a first for me — a Rim to Rim to Rim, over two days, spending a relaxing night with my mom on the South Rim before turning around and heading north again. But it was not to be. The federal government shutdown cut access to the Grand Canyon, and Arizona's deal to reopen it wasn't reached in time to save the trip. I already had nonrefundable tickets to Salt Lake City, so I decided to travel out for the weekend anyway, and salvage some of the tradition by spending time with my dad in the Wasatch Mountains.
Of course, I had to hit the double jackpot of bad timing when my trip coincided perfectly with a winter storm that hammered the mountains. In the two weeks prior, my dad had climbed a couple of favorite mountains and enjoyed warm weather and good conditions. But this storm was likely the one that will close off the Wasatch high country to anyone who isn't a serious backcountry skier or mountaineer for the rest of the season. I had traveled out to Utah with Grand Canyon gear — ever the optimist — and wasn't well equipped for winter conditions in the mountains. But I had rain gear so we set out on Thursday for a peaceful and sleety hike to Desolation Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I enjoyed the brisk weather and time with my dad.
By Friday we were feeling ambitious and decided to check out the conditions on Mount Timpanogos, starting from Aspen Grove near Sundance Ski Resort. We should have known better, given we tried this route last year around Thanksgiving and discovered that it's not doable under snow cover given the steepness of this aspect. But I was hopeful that the recent snow was just a dusting and we'd be able to follow the summer trail.
Starting out around 8:15 a.m., temperatures were in the low 30s and it looked like it would be a fabulous bluebird day.
A low fog moved in but the sun continued to needle through, highlighting a fading but diverse pallet of fall colors.
The snow cover quickly became deeper as we gained elevation, and was already windblown enough that drifts frequently buried the trail. Soon the steep switchbacks were entirely hidden underneath a smooth, powdery snow slope, climbing at 35- to 45-degree angles, sometimes steeper. The powder snow didn't consolidate underneath our feet and we had a lot of difficulty gaining traction as we crawled up the slope on our hands and knees. Of course it didn't take long to lose the route. And from this aspect of Timpanogos, you really have to stick to the route because everything else is a cliff. We ended up right back where we were last year, somewhere around 9,500 feet altitude, staring up at the cliffs in bewilderment and declaring a dead end.
I've never hiked to Timpanogos from Aspen Grove, even in the summer, so I didn't know where the route was. But after observing the rim earlier, I had a sense that it was likely cut into a more open drainage to the right, and I was determined to find a way over there, "just to look and see." I punched a trench up this near-vertical gully and then picked my way along the base of an imposing cliff band. Although I told my dad I'd return after my scouting trip, he followed my tracks along the meandering and sometimes precarious route. Later, we would look up at this spot from below and be flabbergasted at how we managed to pick our way through that section; it all looked like cliffs. But I never sensed it was too dangerous (not enough snow cover for avalanches), and sure enough we did find our way back to the discernible outline of a switchbacking trail.
Meanwhile, snow was ripping off the Timpanogos summit at an alarming rate. When I lived in Juneau, I learned how to gauge summit wind speeds by observing the movement of clouds streaming off the ridge. I'm rusty on this skill, but based on past experience I'd say it was easily blowing 50 to 60 miles per hour up there. And it was not warm. My Camelback valve and hose froze outside my coat, indicating temperatures below freezing at that elevation. Even in the relative protection of the basin, the wind blew 20 to 30 miles per hour, and windchills cut through to the core.
I'd just spent the past month doing nightly sauna training and biking in 80-degree heat just so I'd be well acclimated in case it was a hot year in the Grand Canyon. All of that preparation did me exactly no good here in the Wasatch. These were full winter conditions, complete with fierce wind and sugary snow. My gear was not great — Hoka trail-running shoes and a single pair of Drymax socks on my feet, a single pair of fleece gloves that was neither water nor windproof on my hands, and an old rain coat instead of a real winter shell. But I had a great new Patagonia primaloft puffy that I'd recently acquired for Alaska, and I was very grateful to have that piece. Because my torso was toasty warm, my extremities managed to stay relatively comfortable. My dad struggled a bit more with his hands and feet, and had to break out the handwarmers.
We climbed above Emerald Lake Basin to the edge of the cliffs over the Timpooneke basin, 500 feet below. The first 200 feet are a sheer drop, and the mountain tumbles steeply into them. In the summer there's a good trail carved into this rim, but it was entirely obscured by wind-loaded powder. Sometimes we be flailing around in waist-deep drifts, only to have the next step be onto slippery, ice-coated rocks covered in about an inch of polished snow crust. Meanwhile, the sideslope became steeper, the cliffs grew closer, and both my dad and I were nervous. At this point the saddle wasn't far, and we were nearly as high in altitude, but I had strong doubts we'd want to continue to the summit. "The windchill is going to be zero degrees or lower up there," I reasoned, "and the wind is probably so strong that we'll feel like we're getting blown off the mountain." Continuing this sketchy traverse where any slip on hidden ice would likely mean a 500-foot death plunge, just to reach a saddle where we'd turn around right away, did not seem worth it. My dad asked if I was disappointed that we missed a summit yet again. Hell no. "I've had enough terror hiking this summer," I told him.
We ate a quick and uncomfortable lunch in the little hut above Emerald Lake. The back wall, the one facing the wind, was half blown off and the shelter provided little protection from the brutal windchill. "Just think," I said to my dad. "Right about now we'd be at Phantom Ranch, sitting in the shade in 80-degree sunshine and sipping on fresh lemonade. But the Grand Canyon shut down so instead we're here!" I'm not sure he found this as humorous as I did. He didn't laugh.
Luckily, we found the real trail to follow downhill, so the descent was uneventful. The cold wind only picked up in strength as we lost elevation, making me feel grateful we didn't attempt to climb higher.
It is gorgeous, this mountain and its surrounding valleys.
Timpanogos was the first mountain I ever climbed, back in the summer of 1995. I haven't been back to the top since 2000. But I will return someday. Dad says I should try visiting during a proper summer month, the time of year when one can run to the top on a nice, smooth trail. But I do enjoy the challenges of the shoulder seasons, even if they shut me down time and time again.
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ING backs FinCompare, the German comparison platform for SME financing
FinCompare, the German fintech startup that offers a comparison platform for SME financing, has closed €10 million in Series A funding. The round is led by ING Ventures, the venture capital arm of dutch bank ING. The company's previous backers Speedinvest, and UNIQA Ventures also followed on.
The comparison site currently only operates in Germany and since entering the market in February 2017 says it has attracted more than 2,500 customers and has processed more than one billion Euros. The new capital will be used by FinCompare to invest in its IT platform, including expanding the team, and for further European expansion.
The FinCompare platform itself follows a pretty traditional price comparison model, letting small to medium-sized businesses find, compare and even close a variety of financing options such as credit, leasing, factoring and finetrading. The products on offer are from more than 200 banks, alternative financial service providers, and development banks online.
The comparison platform claims to be independent, even if — like most comparison sites — FinCompare receives a kick back for any brokered loan or other financing solution in the form of commission from its financing partners. The fintech is also keen to talk up its independence in light of backing from ING Ventures, noting that remaining neutral in terms of the products it pushes is essential for any comparison platform.
ING's investment in FinCompare is being positioned as part of the bank's wider digitalization strategy: "ING Ventures was founded with the aim to invest in fintechs who establish a unique customer experience. Further, the investment in FinCompare enables us to expand our presence in the SME-segment in Germany," says Benoit Legrand, CEO of ING Ventures.
Legrand also says the German SME industry is among the most attractive in Europe. "Here we can set incentives together with FinCompare and make life easier for businesses. This investment helps ING in the implementation of the bank's strategy to become the market-leading platform for financing needs," he adds.
Meanwhile, I understand FinCompare's planned European expansion will see it eye up the german speaking markets of Austria and Switzerland during the next few months. Netherlands and Poland are also on the list, along with the U.K. "We are planning to launch in the U.K. in 2019, perhaps even through an acquisition," FinCompare founder and CEO Stephan Heller tells me. Competitors in the U.K. include Fundingoptions, and Capitalise.


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Kiss of the Dragon
Liu Jian, a police officer from China, comes to Paris to help the vice squad apprehend a Chinese drug lord and his unknown French connection. The French connection is Richard, the head of the vice squad, who intends to kill the drug lord then frame Jian. Jian ducks a bullet and escapes with a tape of what really happened. By chance, Jian turns to Jessica – a US farm girl who is one of Richard's hookers – for help. She has her own problems, including the fact that Richard has her daughter locked in an orphanage to keep Jessica on the streets and silent about his activities. Can Jian protect Jessica, rescue her daughter, and give Richard the kiss of the dragon?
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